


The More You Ignore Me (The Closer I Get)

by lachatblanche



Series: The Last of the Genius Billionaire Philanthropist Playboys [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-17 01:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1369429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lachatblanche/pseuds/lachatblanche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony doesn't like being ignored by anybody, let alone Charles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The More You Ignore Me (The Closer I Get)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this absolutely ages ago but never got around to posting it. Thought I ought to put it up while I still remembered :D
> 
> Reading the others in the series is probably not necessary but I would advise it if only to get a grip on the dynamic between the two.
> 
> <3

Tony was bored.

This was apparent for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which was that Tony himself was currently declaring as much to the room at large.

‘I’m _bored_ ,’ he announced, slumping in his armchair with an expression of exaggerated misery. ‘I’m so fucking bored it’s unbelievable.’

He waited for a moment, his head tilted in expectation, but there was no response.

He frowned. Feeling ever so slightly annoyed, he forced himself to slowly straighten up in his seat, allowing the armchair to creak noisily as he did so. Still there wasn’t even a flicker of movement to be seen. 

Tony narrowed his eyes. Letting out a huff of impatience, he finally glanced surreptitiously over at Charles, whose eyes were still directed at the book in front of him, his expression completely smooth and impassive. He looked, in Tony’s opinion, very much like a person who was completely and utterly oblivious to the misery and suffering going on around him … which, really, ought to have been completely impossible because Charles was Charles and Tony was Tony, and Charles was never good at ignoring those in pain and Tony was just never any good at being ignored.

‘Charles,’ Tony said.

Nothing happened.

‘Charles,’ he said again.

Still no response.

‘Charles. _Charles_.’

Nothing.

Tony pouted. God knows he hated to be ignored but if there was one thing he hated even more than that then it was being ignored by _Charles_. 

Tony never wanted to be ignored by Charles, not even for a single minute. It had always been like that and it drove him crazy that Charles didn’t seem to think anything of it. ‘Don’t be silly, darling,’ he would always murmur whenever Tony would accuse him of directing his attention elsewhere, ‘You know that I’m always thinking about you.’ Despite remaining sceptical of this Tony was always quieted by Charles’s reassurances, but it was never long before his insecurities started up again, making him impatient and restless and – he winced to even have this phrase associated with himself – pathetically needy.

He rubbed at his face and allowed himself a wry smile. Everyone believed that he, the billionaire-in-waiting Stark heir, was liberal and open-handed and generous but Tony had always made it a point to know his own weaknesses and he knew that such an assessment was anything but the truth. In reality he was greedy and tight-fisted and selfish – not with money or material possessions, perhaps, but definitely when it came to the more precious things in his life, such as his affections. If he was to be loved then he wanted to be loved fully and whole-heartedly and without reservations. It was all or nothing with him and, Tony knew, when it came to Charles, he wanted _all_.

It was dumb and illogical, he realised, but he still couldn’t help himself. Charles had told him numerous times that loving someone whole-heartedly did not mean that there couldn’t be room for anyone else in their lives or that they had to be joined at the hip for every moment of every day, but Tony still couldn’t fully rid himself of the fear and uncertainty that had plagued him ever since childhood and the only way he knew how to combat those feelings was by keeping Charles close by his side and focused entirely on him. He knew he was being the worst kind of hypocrite – it was, after all, perfectly okay for him to flirt with any number of people or jet off half-way around the world the moment he felt the familiar restlessness settle in but for some reason he got very antsy when Charles did the same.

Or, he added mentally, when Charles didn’t pay attention to him. 

‘Charles,’ Tony said loudly. ‘Hey Charles.’

Nothing.

‘Charles. Charles, your library’s on fire.’

Not even a flinch. It seemed that Charles was determined to go on ignoring him.

Tony’s eyes narrowed. He knew better than most that Charles could be very stubborn when he wanted to be. There nothing else for it: it was time to pull out the big guns.

Unconsciously straightening in his seat, Tony cleared his throat and took a deep breath. ‘Charles,’ he said. ‘Charles. Charles. Charles. Charles. Charles. Charles …’

Charles’s brow furrowed minutely but he forcibly held himself still as if determined not to react.

Tony, luckily, was not a man easily dissuaded.

‘Charles. Chaaaarles. Charles. Charles. Charles. Charles.’ 

Charles’s jaw tightened.

‘Charles. Charles.’ _I can do this all day, sweet-cheeks_. ‘Charles. Charles. Charles. Char-’

‘Oh for goodness sakes!’ Charles finally snapped, his blue eyes flashing with annoyance as he shoved his book away and turned to Tony with a glare. Tony beamed at him and then settled in to watch Charles’s eyes spark and see his face grow steadily pinker and his mouth open wider. It was a glorious sight. ‘Just _five minutes_ , Tony. Just _five minutes_. That’s all I was asking. _Five_ little minutes so that I could get to the end of my chapter but _no_ , I can’t be allowed one tiny second to …’

Tony nodded seriously, determinedly preventing his lips from twitching.

‘… And _honestly_ , if you can’t entertain yourself for _two seconds_ then what on earth are you going to do when …’

Tony allowed the noise to wash over him, unable to keep from smiling at the picture before him. Charles didn’t get riled up nearly enough, in his opinion. He really should make it a point to do it more often: the effect it had was absolutely mesmerising and Tony couldn’t pull his eyes away from it.

_Damn_ , he thought fondly, allowing his eyes to linger appreciatively on Charles’s face, _You’re fucking gorgeous, you know that?_

He hadn’t intended to broadcast that but unfortunately it seemed that his thoughts weren’t quite as well-concealed as he had believed, as Charles suddenly paused mid-tirade and stared at him in surprise, his eyes round and his mouth slightly ajar. He looked as if he had been caught completely off-guard, which was ridiculous because Tony was sure that he must have told Charles the exact same thing every single day since the very first moment that they had met. 

… Or else, he had honestly _really_ meant to.

Tony grimaced. It seemed that there were in fact a few disadvantages to having a million and one genius thoughts and ideas in your head at any one time.

Charles, meanwhile, had closed his mouth and was instead scrutinising Tony’s face curiously. He paused for a moment and then he suddenly scowled. ‘Oh no,’ he said, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. ‘You aren’t getting out of it quite _that_ easily, my friend. I’m still very cross with you. You _know_ that I hate being interrupted in the middle of …’

The words floated in through one of Tony’s ears and out the other. He made sure to nod earnestly at each pause that Charles made, but in reality his attention his attention was focused on the movement of Charles’s delectable lips and on the pink flush of irritation on his cheeks and the smooth softness of his skin.

He hadn’t been kidding. Charles really was gorgeous, he mused, following the line of his neck wistfully. More than gorgeous, in fact. Charles was sexy and brilliant and Tony’s best friend on the entire planet. He was smart and funny and kind and so fucking _good_ that Tony sometimes just wanted to bundle him up in cotton wool and hide him away from the rest of the world. He wouldn’t, though, because that was just creepy.

Tony sighed and rubbed at his neck ruefully. Charles really did bring out the strangest thoughts in him and that was _without_ the telepathy. Feeling rather sheepish, he looked back at Charles and he felt his heart give a tight little squeeze inside his chest. He found himself smiling as Charles made a particularly wide, exaggerated gesture with his hands and a sudden, almost unexpected surge of overwhelming fondness welled up inside him.

‘I fucking love you,’ he blurted out before he could stop himself. Then he blinked and his mouth immediately snapped shut. 

For a moment he and Charles – who, it seemed, had been shocked silent – just stared at each other with wide eyes. 

Tony’s mouth was dry. He hadn’t meant to say that. He hadn’t meant to say that at all. He _never_ said things like that. Not _directly_ , anyway. His usual lines were witty and clever and sexy, and would normally have Charles reaching to shed his clothes within seconds.

He discreetly ran his eyes over the person in question: nope, still disappointingly clothed.

He wrenched his eyes away and glanced down at his fidgeting hands. For a moment he almost considered fleeing the room or vehemently denying that he had ever said anything but then he dismissed those ideas with a sigh. He couldn’t do it. Charles deserved more than that. And really, it was about time he said the words out loud: he’d made Charlie wait long enough. It wasn’t as if the words weren’t true, after all.

When he looked back up again he found that Charles was biting his lip, looking strangely flustered. ‘Are you …’ Charles hesitated, fidgeting, his expression strangely anxious. ‘Do you really … It’s just – you’ve never actually _said_ …’ He took a deep breath and then met Tony’s eyes, looking strangely vulnerable despite the fierce tilt of his head. ‘Do you mean it?’ he asked quietly, unable to hide the small, hopeful light that was beginning to shine in his eyes.

Tony felt his insides squirm, all instincts demanding that he deny it to his dying day but he valiantly repressed them and he instead cleared his throat embarrassedly. ‘Sure, I mean it,’ he said awkwardly, trying to fight the urge to duck his head away. When Charles didn’t respond immediately he summoned his courage and, raising his head, he lifted his chin haughtily. ‘I mean come on – it’s _me_. When do I ever say things that I don’t mean?’

Charles let out a snort at that, reluctantly amused just as Tony had intended, and then raised his eyebrow. ‘Do you really want me to answer that?’ he asked dryly.

‘Ha,’ Tony coughed, hiding a grin, ‘Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the _best_ question to ask.’

‘No,’ Charles said gravely, but the amusement was visible in the twist of his lips and in the lights of his eyes. ‘It really wasn’t.’

‘Better question, then,’ Tony said recklessly before springing up from his armchair and crossing over to Charles’s side to kneel down against him. ‘When have I ever lied to you?’ he asked with surprising solemnity, meeting Charles’s eyes. ‘About things that really matter, I mean?’

Charles’s eyes widened slightly at that but he didn’t look away. ‘Oh,’ he said softly, looking thoughtful. He bit his lip then, chewing on the lower one, and Tony had great difficulty in trying to wrench his eyes away from the tantalising sight. ‘Well – I suppose – never.’

Tony smiled and the smug expression of triumph returned to his face as if it had never been gone. ‘Well. There you go then.’

‘Hmm,’ Charles hummed, looking strangely pleased. ‘I suppose you’re right.’ He licked his lips then and Tony felt his mouth go dry. As he watched, Charles’s eyelids slowly began to lower and his mouth parted open and for a moment it looked like he was going to lean down and press a kiss to Tony’s starving mouth. At the very last minute, however, he pulled away. ‘You know, I’m still cross with you for interrupting me,’ he said reproachfully, shaking his head, and Tony let out a silent groan. ‘I haven’t forgotten. I mean honestly, Tony! You _will_ have to learn how to sit still one of these days, you can’t be a brat forever!’

Tony snorted. ‘Want to bet?’ he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Charles folded his arms and raised an eyebrow of his own in response. ‘I’d like to think that I’m a _bit_ more intelligent than that,’ he said dryly. 

‘You underestimate the things that I am willing to do in the name of a bet,’ Tony said loftily, watching Charles smugly through lowered eyes.

Charles laughed at that. ‘Maybe so,’ he admitted, smiling. ‘But I know you, Tony, and much as you like winning bets, you enjoy being at the centre of attention a whole lot more. You wouldn’t last two minutes by yourself. Believe me, I know.’ 

Tony puffed his chest out at that, causing Charles to laugh again even as he shook his head. His eyes crinkled at the sides and he threw Tony a look that was probably supposed to be accusing but mostly came out looking fond. ‘Attention whore,’ he said affectionately.

Tony smirked at that. ‘For you, darling?’ he grinned. ‘Always.’

Charles rolled his eyes. ‘Silly,’ he murmured.

‘Silly, huh?’ Tony took the opportunity to lean forward and bury his nose in Charles’s neck, smiling when Charles shivered at the touch. ‘I’m offended. I _am_ a genius, you know. Certified and everything.’ He darted his tongue out and swiped at the nape of Charles’s neck, causing Charles to jerk in his seat and let out a hiss of surprise. Tony smirked. ‘What was that, Charlie?’

‘Bastard,’ Charles gasped out as Tony nibbled on his skin – he really did have the most sensitive neck, Tony thought approvingly – ‘I said, you’re a _bastard_ , Stark. A distracting, attention-grubbing bastard who is never going to let me finish reading a single book for the rest of my-’ he was cut off by Tony surging forward and slamming their lips together, stealing Charles’s breath and derailing all chances of sensible thought in the near future.

_You’re right_ , Tony thought fiercely as he kissed him, unwilling to remove his lips from Charles’s for even a second. _I won’t. And I’m not going to apologise. I mean, why would you even **want** to hang around books all day when you’ve got **me**?_

‘No idea,’ Charles breathed as he pulled his mouth away, panting and looking at Tony with wide, lust-darkened eyes. ‘Clearly I’m an idiot.’

‘Yes,’ Tony agreed, nodding gravely. ‘It’s lucky that you’re _ridiculously_ attractive. God knows how you’d get laid otherwise.’

Charles snorted. ‘I wouldn’t worry too much. _You’d_ still want to fuck me even if I wasn’t this astoundingly handsome.’

Tony cocked his head to the side, considering. ‘Yeah,’ he said after a moment, honest. ‘Yeah, I probably would.’

Charles’s smile widened at that and he reached for Tony, pulling him forward until they were kissing again, long and languorous and deep. The only sounds for the next few minutes were their soft, breathy little moans and the slick, wet noises of their tongues as they lazily moved against each other, caught up in the feel of the kiss.

Tony opened his eyes after a moment and smiled. He waited until Charles’s eyes were pressed fully shut and till he was almost shaking with want before abruptly pulling away, causing Charles to jerk his eyes open in surprise. The bewildered expression on his face almost made Tony laugh but, being the gentleman he was, he manfully resisted the urge and merely curled his lips up into a smirk.

‘I’ll just let you get back to your reading, shall I?’ he asked innocently, his smirk widening at Charles’s continued look of incomprehension. His glee only increased at the sudden look of outrage that crossed Charles’s face.

‘Tony,’ Charles said warningly, sitting up in his chair.

‘Charles,’ Tony’s eyes glinted, and he took a deliberate step away from Charles’s chair, raising an eyebrow tauntingly.

Charles’s eyes narrowed. Slowly and deliberately, he brought his fingers up to his temples. Barely a second later Tony found himself walking forward, his limbs moving without his direction, leading straight between the legs of a very smug Charles who had spread his knees wide in order to accommodate him.

‘That’s cheating!’ Tony protested, although only very half-heartedly.

‘Yes, well,’ Charles sniffed, curling his foot around Tony’s calf before looking up at him through half-lidded eyes. ‘All’s fair in love and war, and all that.’

Tony considered. ‘Is this love or war?’ he asked thoughtfully.

Charles shrugged an impeccably lovely shoulder. ‘Does it matter?’ he asked airily before tilting his head up towards Tony. ‘Now why don’t you be a good boy and kiss me, hmm?’

A slow smirk slid onto Tony’s face. ‘Look who’s the attention-whore now,’ he teased, chucking Charles under the chin with his finger and grinning.

Charles’s lips twitched at that and, reaching forward, he pulled Tony down by the collar of his shirt so that he was mere centimetres away from Charles’s face. ‘For you, darling?’ he murmured, his eyes fluttering shut as his lips curled upwards into a smile. ‘ _Always_.’

And, Tony thought blurrily as he found himself being kissed to within an inch of his life, he had absolutely no problem with that whatsoever.


End file.
